Berkeley man was a volunteer EMT at Ground Zero

CROSS, S.C. (WCIV) - A Berkeley County Man was one of the EMT workers at Ground Zero after the Twin Towers fell 10 years ago on September 11th.

George Dobson said 9/11 started just like any other September day, but when he heard about the terrorist attacks he was ready to walk out the door.

"I just had to go I told my employer that I was leaving in a half hour whether they let me or not I was gone," Dobson said.

Dobson worked as a volunteer EMT in Pennsylvania and arrived at Ground Zero at 4{}o'clock{}that afternoon.

"I was in total shock I had to bring myself into focus with the devastation and destruction that I saw," said Dobson. "Buildings pulverized, cars crushed, pieces of people."

Dobson says reality was quick to set in once arriving on the scene.

"I thought to myself how can anybody survive this I mean it's not going to be long before this search and rescue turns into a recovery," Dobson said. "Thank God, later that night we found people but I didn't expect anyone to walk out of that alive I really didn't."

Dobson worked for 3 straight days, only sleeping 4 or 5 hours, having no time to even change his clothes. He said he didn't take any pictures from his time at Ground Zero because he was there to work.

"I did pick up a couple papers that I wanted to keep as remembrances," said Dobson. "I picked 2 of them up and unfortunately one of them has blood stains on it."

"That was my way of remembering the 2900 people that died," said Dobson.

A man who risked his life to help others says he would do it all over again if it happened today.

"I've had people call me a hero because I ran into an area where other people ran out," Dobson said. "But{}I was just a guy doing his job, just a man doing his job."

Dobson is being treated for lung disease and says it's a result of his time assisting at Ground Zero.